Abstract: Fatty acids, esters of fatty acids and naturally occurring triglycerides are continuously hydrogenated to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of hydrogen in excess and hydrogenation catalysts under static pressures of 200 to 300 bar and at temperatures of 80 to 150° C. The liquid product is cooled and the excess hydrogen is returned to the reactor entrance by a gas circulation pump as a recycle gas after separation of the liquid product. The expense involved in cooling and reheating the recycle gas is eliminated without any reduction in the quality of the fatty alcohol produced providing the recycle gas is returned to the reactor entrance without reheating. The fatty alcohol produced contains a minimum amount of diol.

Abstract: Naturally occurring fats, oils and fatty derivatives are continuously hydrogenated to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of hydrogen in excess and hydrogenation catalysts under static pressures of 50 to 300 bar and at temperatures of 160 to 320° C. The liquid product is cooled and the excess hydrogen is returned to the reactor entrance by a gas circulation pump as a recycle gas after separation of the liquid product. The expense involved in cooling and reheating the recycle gas is eliminated without any reduction in the quality of the fatty alcohol produced providing the recycle gas is returned to the reactor entrance without reheating and the hydrogenation reaction is carried out under static pressures of at least 200 bar.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of native fats, oils and fat derivatives, such as fatty acids and fatty acid esters, to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor, more particularly in co-current, hydrogen being recirculated in a stoichiometric excess, more particularly in an excess of 10 to 100 fold, and the fat, oil or fat derivative passing through the reactor only once. To minimize the specific hydrogen demand without having to accept significant losses in regard to specific reactor load, product selectivity and catalyst life, the hydrogen is passed successively through at least two fixed-bed reactors 4,10 without the gas issuing from the reactors 4 and entering the following reactors 10 being cooled and the fat, oil or fat derivative is simultaneously introduced into the reactors 4,10.

Abstract: For the production of solid, substantially anhydrous alkali metal salts of .alpha.-sulfofatty acid alkyl esters containing from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the fatty acid chain and from 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the ester alkyl radical, solid or molten .alpha.-sulfofatty acid alkyl esters are simltaneously mixed with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide or an H.sub.2 O.sub.2 -yielding compound and with solid alkali metal carbonate at a temperature of from 20.degree. to 80.degree. C. optionally in the presence of aqueous alkali metal hydroxide, the ratio by weight of ester of H.sub.2 O.sub.2 being from 1:0.01 to 1:0.06 and the molar ratio of ester to alkali metal carbonate being in the range of from 1:0.5 to 1:0.75, the foam formed through the release of CO.sub.2 is mechanically destroyed under a pressure of from 0.2 to 1.0 bar and at a temperature of from 50.degree. to 70.degree. C.